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Get the honest cups | Compostable Alt.

Certified home compostable takeaway packaging | Adelaide, Australia

Most "eco" cups can't compost anywhere.

Ours can : at home.

92% of Australian councils can’t process commercially compostable packaging so your current “eco” cups most likely go straight to landfill. Ours are certified to break down in a backyard compost or worm farm. No facility. No excuses.

1,000 x 8oz cups (90mm – 295ml)
1,000 x 12oz cups (90mm – 390ml)
2,000 x 90mm lids to fit

No lock-in · same fit as your current cups · no impact on your workflow · ships Australia wide

0 %

of Australian councils can process industrially compostable cups

0 %

of “eco” cups end up
in landfill

Our cup

certified to compost
at home if you can

– The truth about eco cups

Industrially compostable sounds good.

The reality isn't.

Most cups sold as “eco” or “compostable” are certified for industrial composting only. A process that requires specialised facilities. In Australia, 92% of councils don’t have them. So the cup you chose to do the right thing with? It’s going to the same place as a plastic one.

Switch to our compostable cups, it’s better for the planet

Packaging labelled “compostable” or “eco” with green logos and sustainability claims. Feels like the right choice.

PLA-lined cups need industrial composters and we barely have any

Industrially compostable cups won’t break down in your backyard, or nature. They need 60°C+ commercial facilities. Only 8% of Australian councils have them.

The cup goes to landfill just like a plastic one

Without the right facility, industrially compostable cups sit in landfill and may even release methane as they slowly break down. Not what you signed up for.

What's actually in your cup

The lining is the issue. Here’s the difference between industrially compostable cups and ours.

Industrially compostable cups

Plant-based plastic still needs industrial heat to break down

Commercially compostable, not at home

Same end result as a plastic cup

They’re left to figure it out alone

Compostable Alternatives cups

Certified to break down completely at home

Breaks down in your backyard in under 24 weeks

No facility needed. Ever.

We help you close the loop, together

If none of your customers compost at home, our cups will also end up in landfill. We won’t pretend otherwise. That’s why we don’t just sell cups. We give you the tools to actually close the loop: composting guides, in-store posters, and a QR code on every cup that walks your customers through how to compost or alternatives composting initiatives. Because the cup is only half the solution.

1,000 x 8oz cups (90mm – 295ml)
1,000 x 12oz cups (90mm – 390ml)
2,000 x 90mm lids to fit

No lock-in · same fit as your current cups · no impact on your workflow · next day dispatch

–The solution

A cup built around

Australia's reality.

We didn’t just find a better cup. We changed what goes into it designing around what Australian households can actually do with it, not what the waste industry wishes they had.

Most brands manufacture for global markets and hope the local system catches up. We do the opposite. Every material decision; the aqueous coating, the paper sleeve, the fibre lid; is chosen because it works within what 100% of Australians have access to right now: a home compost bin, a worm farm, or a backyard.

Cafe starter pack - $419 + GST

Free shipping for new customers

What’s included

90mm rim · single wall · AS5810 certified

No plastic · tasteless · leak-proof

Compostable packaging all the way through or recyclable.

Takes your customers on a composting journey

QR code on every cup

Scan and go.

Your customers get a step-by-step composting guide including which councils accept compostable packaging in their area.

Free in-cafe posters

Ready-to-print signage that explains to your customers what makes your cups different and exactly how to dispose of them.

Composting guide for cafes

A practical guide to help you and your customers start composting, even with no prior experience. We make it simple.

-Your questions, answered honestly

We know what you're

thinking right now.

We’ve talked to hundreds of cafe and van coffee owners. The same two things come up every time. Here’s the straight answer to both, no spin.

Sometimes true, sometimes not, it depends entirely on what you’re comparing. Here’s the full picture on 12oz cups + matching certified lid per 1,000 sets, because the cup price alone is only half the story.

Brand	Cup / 1,000	Lid type	Lid / 1,000
BioPak	~$156	Plastic PS lid, PLA Industrially compostable, or Fibre lid	~$55 ~$114	Silently selling plastic aside since 2006 as commercially compostables which can't be composted in most of the councils.
Truly Eco cup	~$90 ~$107	Plastic PP lid, PLA Industrially compostable or paper	~$55 ~$114	The “plastic free cup” claim has been ruled misleading by the Ad Standards Industry Jury since 2022
Compostable Alternatives : only AS5810 certified products	~$119 ~$125	FIbre lid, PHA paper lids	$98	Honest since 2021

The only fair comparison is home compostable cup + home compostable lid vs same product. On that basis, we are competitive with or cheaper than every brand that can make the same claim. The cheaper options pair their “eco cup” with a plastic or industrially-compostable lid which defeats the purpose entirely.

BioPak’s slogan is “it doesn’t cost the earth.” Truly Eco calls themselves eco-friendly. Yet both sell plastic lids, plastic straws, and conventional packaging right alongside their certified cups. Your supplier’s values are only as real as their full catalogue.

Truly Eco sells PP plastic lids alongside their “eco” cups. Same invoice, different values.
BioPak still sells PLA-lined cups, plastic PS lids, and conventional packaging across their range. “It doesn’t cost the earth”, unless you look at the full catalogue.
Most distributors stock whatever makes margin. Sustainability is a product line, not a principle.
Compostable Alternatives : every single product we stock is home compostable certified. Not a range. Not a category. The whole business. No asterisks.

When you order from us, you don't have to check which lid is plastic and which isn't. Everything we sell meets the same standard we ask you to believe in. That's not a marketing line, it's the only reason this business exists.

Fair. We’re not a multinational with a marketing budget. We’re two people in Adelaide who started this in 2021 because we couldn’t find a cup that actually did what it claimed. Here’s what we can show you instead of asking you to take our word for it.

Certified social enterprise

Verified by Social Traders Australia. An independent body that certifies businesses creating genuine social and environmental impact.

AS5810 certified independently verified

Our home compostable certification is issued and audited by independent bodies. Not a marketing claim, a tested, verified standard.

200+ venues across Australia

From SA to TAS, VIC to QLD. Real venues, real names, you’ll meet some of them in the next section.

Real people, reply within 24hrs

Marion and Alexis answer every message personally. Text, email, or DM, not a support ticket system.

"We started this because we kept buying 'compostable' cups and finding out they couldn't actually be composted anywhere near us. We built the brand we wished existed. And we made one rule from day one: if we wouldn't stake our reputation on a product's compostability claim, we don't stock it."

Will they perform the same as my current cups?

Yes. Same fit, same heat resistance, same leak performance. Single-wall, 90mm rim (80mm rim also available), rated to 100°C. Cafes and coffee van owners who have switched tell us their customers don’t notice any difference in the cup, except it now has a story worth telling.

How do I explain this to my customers?

You don’t have to. The QR code on every cup does it for you. We also give you free printable posters for your counter. Most owners tell us their customers bring it up first, not the other way around.

What if my customers can't compost at home?

We’ll be honest, if no one composts, our cups will also end up in landfill. But ours are the only cups in Australia where composting is even possible without a facility. And we give you the tools to help your community start, QR code, guides, and posters. Some customers used them as planters.

What's your return policy?

14 days from delivery, no questions asked. If they don’t work for your cafe or coffeevan, we’ll refund the product cost. We’d rather you try them risk-free than never find out.

No lock-in · same fit as your current cups · no impact on your workflow · ships Australia wide

1,000 x 8oz cups (90mm – 295ml)
1,000 x 12oz cups (90mm – 390ml)
2,000 x 90mm lids to fit

– Real cafes. Real vans. Real results.

200+ venues across Australia

already made the switch.

From farmers markets to music festivals. Every venue below switched from industrially compostable cups and none have gone back.

Every order answered personally by Marion or Alexis. Not a ticket system. Not a chatbot. Real people who reply by name, within 24 hours. Every review below got a personal response. Every customer gets the same.

"In a landscape full of 'fake green' folk we found this mob to be our best option. Products and prices on point. We did local next day pick up in ADL and was super simple. No brainer."

"We recently had a booking in the van for an entire 3-day music festival. The thought of my coffee cups spread around a field was too much. I came across these guys and am very impressed. We went through the entire starter pack for the festival and ordered more straight away."

"An amazing company that not only produces quality products, but is promoting and supporting sustainability in the cafe industry. We highly recommend Compostable Alternatives for all cups and packaging."

"We are so proud to use Compostable Alternative products in our cafe. Marion & Alexis work with integrity to create truly sustainable products, and passionately educate customers about how to make a difference. Our customers at Cup Of Chino love composting their cups too!"

"Excellent customer service! I felt like they really cared about my order the kind of service you just don't get from big suppliers. Already looking forward to my next order."